Nikki Giovanni, born as Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943. She grew up in Lincoln Heights, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nikki Giovanni was profoundly influenced by the values and traditions of the South. She spent many summer vacations with her grandparents in Knoxville and lived with them during her high school years (1957–1960). Her grandmother, Emma Louvenia Watson, helped shape her belief in the power of the individual and her commitment to serving others, values important in both her poetry and her conception of herself as a writer. In 1960, she began her studies at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She graduated in 1967 with honors, receiving a B.A. in history. Afterwards she went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. In 1969 Giovanni began teaching at Livingston College of Rutgers University.
Giovanni gave birth to Thomas Watson Giovanni, her only child, on August 31, 1969while visiting Cincinnati for Labor Day Weekend.She later stated that she had a child out of wedlock at twenty-five because she "wanted to have a baby and I could afford to have a baby" and because of her conviction that marriage as an institution was inhospitable to women and would never play a role in her life.After her son's birth, Giovanni rearranged her priorities around him and has stated that she would give her life for him. However, things began to go down hill after her son was born. Both Giovanni's mother and sister died of lung cancer and in 1995 Giovanni herself was diagnosed with the disease. She had surgery at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati and eventually had a lung removed. Nikki Giovanni used her time during her battle with cancer to rediscover her love of poetry and her purpose in the profession. As she commented to Jet magazine, "You get this tumor and you don't die, so you feel you have this mission." Her mission to throw herself back into the literary world was one she took very seriously. In 1996 she published two children's books, The Genie in the Jar and The Sun Is So Quiet and a year later, her first volume of poetry in fourteen years, Love Poems, hit bookstores. Like all of her previous material, it was well received by both critics and fans.
Nikki Giovanni began to do more touring as the 1990s came to a close, but remained faithful to her creative writing students at Virginia Polytechnic. She also produced another volume of poetry, Blues: For All the Changes: New Poems, in 1999, which contains poems on the subjects of nature, the little things that people look over or through everyday, as well as her personal battle with cancer. Also in 1999, she celebrated her 30th anniversary as writer, choosing to spend it with her students reading and writing poetry. The next few years were spent in the same fashion, with more public readings, but Giovanni also renewed her focus on social activism, examining the life of famous African Americans such as Tupac and Allen Iverson, as well as pushing for the exploration of space and other planets. She even spoke in front of NASA on this issue and her book Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: poems & not quite poems, which came out in 2002, dedicates much of its subject matter to the issue of African Americans being the best candidates to explore space and unknown territories.
Along with inspiration from black family culture, and racial issues, many of Nikki Giovanni’s poems showcase her strong faith in God, as well as womanhood. Blues music and rhythm are also key components of many of Giovanni’s pieces. Giovanni is a remarkable poet who has written many valuable collections of poetry. As an African-American, her race, as well as her childhood and her womanhood, inspire much of her work. Giovanni has received many awards, and has been honored many times for her pieces. During her long career, she truly has contributed much to the world of poetry.
Nikki Giovanni, born as Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943. She grew up in Lincoln Heights, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nikki Giovanni was profoundly influenced by the values and traditions of the South. She spent many summer vacations with her grandparents in Knoxville and lived with them during her high school years (1957–1960). Her grandmother, Emma Louvenia Watson, helped shape her belief in the power of the individual and her commitment to serving others, values important in both her poetry and her conception of herself as a writer. In 1960, she began her studies at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She graduated in 1967 with honors, receiving a B.A. in history. Afterwards she went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. In 1969 Giovanni began teaching at Livingston College of Rutgers University.
Giovanni gave birth to Thomas Watson Giovanni, her only child, on August 31, 1969 while visiting Cincinnati for Labor Day Weekend. She later stated that she had a child out of wedlock at twenty-five because she "wanted to have a baby and I could afford to have a baby" and because of her conviction that marriage as an institution was inhospitable to women and would never play a role in her life. After her son's birth, Giovanni rearranged her priorities around him and has stated that she would give her life for him. However, things began to go down hill after her son was born. Both Giovanni's mother and sister died of lung cancer and in 1995 Giovanni herself was diagnosed with the disease. She had surgery at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati and eventually had a lung removed. Nikki Giovanni used her time during her battle with cancer to rediscover her love of poetry and her purpose in the profession. As she commented to Jet magazine, "You get this tumor and you don't die, so you feel you have this mission." Her mission to throw herself back into the literary world was one she took very seriously. In 1996 she published two children's books, The Genie in the Jar and The Sun Is So Quiet and a year later, her first volume of poetry in fourteen years, Love Poems, hit bookstores. Like all of her previous material, it was well received by both critics and fans.
Nikki Giovanni began to do more touring as the 1990s came to a close, but remained faithful to her creative writing students at Virginia Polytechnic. She also produced another volume of poetry, Blues: For All the Changes: New Poems, in 1999, which contains poems on the subjects of nature, the little things that people look over or through everyday, as well as her personal battle with cancer. Also in 1999, she celebrated her 30th anniversary as writer, choosing to spend it with her students reading and writing poetry. The next few years were spent in the same fashion, with more public readings, but Giovanni also renewed her focus on social activism, examining the life of famous African Americans such as Tupac and Allen Iverson, as well as pushing for the exploration of space and other planets. She even spoke in front of NASA on this issue and her book Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: poems & not quite poems, which came out in 2002, dedicates much of its subject matter to the issue of African Americans being the best candidates to explore space and unknown territories.
Along with inspiration from black family culture, and racial issues, many of Nikki Giovanni’s poems showcase her strong faith in God, as well as womanhood. Blues music and rhythm are also key components of many of Giovanni’s pieces. Giovanni is a remarkable poet who has written many valuable collections of poetry. As an African-American, her race, as well as her childhood and her womanhood, inspire much of her work. Giovanni has received many awards, and has been honored many times for her pieces. During her long career, she truly has contributed much to the world of poetry.
Works Cited
Nikki Giovanni Biography. 2006. 22 Feb. 2009 http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/nikki_giovanni/biography.
Nikki Giovanni Bio: Biography. 2002. 22 Feb. 2009 <nikki-giovanni.com/bio.shtml>.